DPM: 750 members of Armed Forces deployed to hospitals in Klang Valley

KLANG (Bernama): A total of 750 members of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will be deployed to hospitals in the Klang Valley to help health workers handle Covid-19 cases.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said their service was needed, among other things, to provide oxygen tanks to patients.

“(The task) requires manpower and the MAF is providing 750 personnel to help hospitals in the Klang Valley. Ninety of them will be at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) here.

"Each tank provides oxygen for eight hours, so after it has run out of gas, we want to continue with the new tank immediately. We do not want any delay as it can endanger patients," he said here on Sunday (Aug 8).

Earlier, Ismail Sabri, who is also Defence Minister, was briefed on hospital operations and treatment status of both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients at HTAR.

Ismail Sabri said hospital operations was among areas that would be improved, including the procurement of medicines and medical equipment.

"So if bureaucracy can be reduced, reduce it because this can be considered an emergency case. Otherwise, it will take time. I will discuss this with the Finance Ministry,” he added.

Apart from that, he said, some form of token would be given for the use of ambulances such as those provided by the Red Crescent Society and St John Ambulance.

“Now, they are helping us voluntarily. We can discuss, if there is an allocation, to provide them with some token for helping to fetch patients from their homes,” he said.

Ismail Sabri said HTAR had prepared 578 additional beds, including 100 at the field hospital on its grounds, to accommodate the increase in Covid-19 patients.

"As of today, the hospital has 1,264 beds, 900 for Covid-19 patients and the remainder for non-Covid-19 patients," he said. – Bernama